Salt and pepper holder.



UNITED STATES PATENT onirica.

JOHN T. STAPLETON, OF JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR'TO SANITARYRECEPTACLE TOP CO., LTD., OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY.

SALT AND PEPPER HOLDER.

Patented July 5, 1910.

Application filed November 18, 1909. Serial No. 528,686.

To all whom 'it may concerm' Be it known that I, JOHN T. STArLn'roN,

' a citizen of the United States, and residing clog up or be otherwiseaffected in such' manner as to prevent the use thereof in the operationof shaking or distributing the salt or pepper.

The invention is fully disclosed in the following specification, ofwhich the accompanying drawin(r forms a part, in which the separateparts of my improvement are designated by suitable reference charactersin each of the views, and in whichz Figure l is a side View of a salt orpepper .A holder made according to my invention, the

top portion thereof being in section. Fig. 2 a bottom plan view of thecap of the holder.

In the practice of my invention, I provide a salt or pepper holder awhich may be of the usual or anypreferred form, and which is providedwith a cap b. In the form of construction shown, the top portion a2 ofthe holder is provided with a thread a3l and the cap b with acorrespondingly threaded flange or rim b2, and with this constructionthe cap may be screwed onto the holder and detached therefrom whendesired, or this connection may be made in any desired manner.

The top of the cap. b is flat and smooth on its under side, and said capis provided with a plurality of circularly arranged perforations orapertures b3, and beneath the cap, or the top part thereof, is placed aslide c which is also circular in form and provided at regular intervalscorresponding with the perforations or apertures b3 with upwardlydirected projections c2 having laterally directed valve devices c?-adapted to close the perforations or apertures b3.

In one side of the cap is placed or secured a tube cl through whichpasses a radially movable plunger e, the outer end of which projects ashort distance as shown at e2, and the inner end of which is secured tothe slide o. One side part of the inner end of the plunger e is cut outlongitudinally to form a recess e3 in which the slide c lits, and theinner endvportion of said plunger lies flat on the bottom of said slideand extends to about the middle thereof in the form of constructionshown. Secured to the side of the cap b opposite the plunger e is aspring f which is bent to form a depending loopshaped portion f2 havingan upwardly directed arm f,the end f* of which lits in a. recess in theinner end of that part ot' the plunger e which is secured to the slidec. The normal position of the slide c is that shown in Figs. l and 2, inwhich position the perforations or apertures b are securely closed, andin practice the holder a is filled, or partially filled, with salt orpepper as shown at g, and the cap b secured thereon and the device isready for use. lVhenever it is desired to shakeout the salt or pepperthe plunger e is forced inwardly and this operation moves the' slide cdiametrically across the under surface of the top of the cap I) andopens the perforations or apertures b3. At this time the salt or peppermay be shaken out of the holder a in the usual manner, and when thisoperation is completed the pressure on the outer end of the plunger e isreleased and the spring f, or the arm f3 thereof, immediately forcessaid lunger back into the position shown in Figs. l and 2 and theperforations or apertures b3 are securely closed by the valve devicesc3. The tube d through which the plunger e passes forms a stop for theslide c when the plunger e is moved outwardly by the spring f, or thearm f3 thereof, and said slide is normally held in the position shown inFigs. 1 and 2, and all that is necessary to open the perforations orapertures b3 is to pressinwardly on the outer end c2 of the plunger e.

Wit-h this construction there is no danger of thel perforations orapertures b3 becoming clogged in any way and, in practice, the upwardlydirected projections c2 with which the valve devices o3 are connectedform agi- ,tators for the salt, or pepper, when" the device is invertedfor use, and the said salt or pepper is free to circulate between theslide tions or apertures b3 clear of obstruction at all times. The sprinf also serves t0 hold the slide c, or the va ve devices c thereof,

in rm connection with the bottom surfaceof the top of the cap b as wellas to return said slide to its normal position as shown in Fig. 1, afterit has been forced out of said position by means of the plunger e.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

l. A salt or pepper holder provided with a removable cap having a fiattop with perforations or apertures formed in a circle therein, and aslide mounted in said cap below the top thereof and provided withupwardly directed projections having laterally directed valve devicesadapted to close said perforations or apertures, and which press on thebottom of the top of said cap, said cap being also rovided with aradially arranged plunger w ich passes through one side thereof and isconnected with said slide and opposite said plunger with a spring devicewhich normally holds the valve devices seated on the bottom of the topof the cap and which also serves to force said slide in a directionopposite to that in which it is moved by the. plunger.

2. A device of the class described, comprising a holder provided with aremovable cap having a flat top portion, said top portion being providedwith perforations or apertures, a slide mounted in said cap and providedwith upwardly directed rojections having laterally directed valve @vicesadapted to close said perforations or apertures and to bear on thebottom of the top of the ca a tube secured in one side of the cap, a punger passing through said tube and connected with said slide, and aspring secured in the opposite side of the cap an connected with saidslide, said spring normally serving to force the slide upwardly and thevalve devices against the bottom surface of the top of the cap and alsoto hold said slide against said tube.

3. A. device of the class described, comprising a holder having aremovable cap provided with a fiat top having perforations or aperturesformed therein, and a slide mounted in said cap below the top thereofand provided with upwardly directed projections having laterallydirected valve devices adapted to bear on the bottom side of the top ofthe cap and to normally close said perforations or apertures, a plungerfor moving said slidein one directlon and a spring device for moving itin the opposite direction.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have signed myname in presence of the subscribing witnesses this 17th day of November1909.

JOI-IN T. STAPLETON.

Witnesses:

C. E. MULREANY, B. M. RYnnsoN.

